‘We Inherited Revolution’ Says Ahed Tamimi in Message to Progressive Clacso Conference

The Palestinian resistance icon Ahed Tamimi Tuesday highlighted the Palestinian cause in a video message for Clacso’s (Latin American Council of Social Sciences) First World Forum on Critical Thinking in Argentina 

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Ahed gave a short testimony “about the suffering of children” in Israeli prisons. Interrogation, according to her, is the most difficult part of being in prison, “Where huge pressure is applied, under the threat of hurting your family, of beating you, psychological torture, denial of sleep.”

Ahed continues on to say “your imprisonment is torture in itself, to take away your liberty, your right to go out and play like any child,” but to be pressured indirectly by torturing the family of the children, by denying them family visits in prison. “Psychologically, this damages you greatly.”

The young activist from the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank was jailed for eight months for slapping two Israeli occupation soldiers who were harassing her family in their home's yard. She and her mother Nariman were released from Israeli prison in late July.

Palestinian children also suffer when “their father is imprisoned, hurt or martyred, or when the same happens to your mother. Children are also at risk of being hurt or martyred. We constantly hear news of children who are injured or killed.”

However, along with inheriting occupation and suffering, Ahed said, “We inherit the revolution.”

According to her, revolution is the only way to denounce occupation and despite all the suffering and oppression, “Palestinians see themselves as fighters for liberty, not victims. So I hope that you too can see us as fighters for liberty.”

While concluding her message Ahed asked for solidarity with Palestinian cause saying, “Support us in the struggle to obtain the most sublime gift which is liberty, justice, and democracy. That’s the best way to support us.”    

Clacso is a non-governmental institution, created in 1967 by UNESCO that currently includes more than 300 social science and humanity research centers across Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe.

Clacso’s conference saw the participation of Dilma Rousseff, Cristina Fernandez, academics such as Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and Juan Carlos Monedero, founder of the progressive Spanish party Podemos among many other progressive leaders and academics.